


Queen in the North

by Lyncias



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Game of Thrones Fusion, Alternate Universe - Westeros, Gen, I have no idea where this is going to go, I've been wanting to write a GoT AU, also does anyone know anzu's brother's name, it's going to change once I write the actual fic, mention of Kaoru/Nazuna, since none of this is thought out Anzu's last name is going to be Stark for now, this came to me in class
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-28 19:58:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14456631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyncias/pseuds/Lyncias
Summary: A new queen is crowned in the north





	Queen in the North

**Author's Note:**

> Game of Thrones AU where Anzu is the Lady of Winterfell (inspired by the King in the North scene in season 6).  
> This came to me today while I sitting in a particularly boring lecture and I wrote it in like an hour and a half. Not very well thought out. It's something to get me into the mood of writing a fantasy/GoT AU. When (if) I write the actual thing, I'll change the plot so it won't be just GoT with enstars characters.
> 
> Thanks for clicking! Tell me what you think and if I should expand/rewrite this (it's going to be long if I do so I want to get people's opinions)!

Hokuto found Anzu on the battlement.

She wore a heavy cloak of dark fur and a heavy, grey wool dress. The bottom of it still stained from the battlefield. Snowflakes danced through the air, clinging to her hood and kissing her lashes. Far below her, on the battlefield, men were burning the dead. The fire burned brightly and furiously, orange sparks flying into the snow. The black smoke licked the laden sky and Hokuto thought he could smell the pyre all the way up here. He didn’t like burning bodies, but it was a necessary precaution against the Night King, who could summon the dead back to life with a single, frozen touch.

Anzu was alone, without not even a guard in sight. Ever since she returned to the north, she had been increasingly withdrawn, at time almost sullen. She occupied herself with works and nothing else. The northerners' attitude didn't help. They respected her too much to treat her like an equal.

Snow crunched under Hokuto’s boots as he approached her. If Anzu heard him approaching, she didn’t turn to greet him.

Hokuto stopped a few feet away from her. Wind tugged at his cloak and lashed at his face, but Anzu didn’t seemed to be bothered by it.

It’s the northerner in her, Hokuto thought. He opened his mouth, yet no words came.

“Anzu…” he called, but the wind caught his voice and blew it away, sending it flying down the wall and towards the field below them.

“This is my fault.” At length, she spoke.

“It is not,” Hokuto said firmly. “Those men fought for you willingly. We only won because of you.”

“But they died,” Anzu said. She turned and looked at Hokuto. “Willingly, or not. Victorious, or not. They died. Hundreds of children without parents, mothers without children, siblings without siblings. Because of me.” To his surprise, under the shadow of the hood, her blue eyes held tears. He had known her since her days imprisoned in King’s Landing, yet this was the first time he saw her tears. She sniffled angrily and turned back to look at the pyre.

“If this is your fault, then it is mine, as well.” Hokuto heard himself say softly. He was almost afraid the wind would take his words away again.

This time, she heard him. She looked with him in shock. “This is not your fault,” she said. “You were outnumbered. You did what you could.”

“And the same goes for you,” Hokuto said. He walked closer to her. Close enough that, if he wanted, he could take her hand without reaching. They watched the pyre in silence, letting the snow fall on their shoulders. Neither moved to dust off the thin layer that had already accumulated there.

“Enemies to the south, enemies to the north.” Anzu muttered, a tinge of desperation creeping into her voice.

“The Wall will hold for a while longer,” Hokuto said.

“But it won’t stand forever,” Anzu said. The pyre was dimming down. Men were venturing into flame to gather the ashes and unburnt bones of their friends. “We need food. We need supplies. Yet King’s Landing will not even listen to my pleas unless I agree to hand over my home.” She fell silent, watching the fire go out. The moaning wind sounded like a dying beast.

She rested a hand on the battlement, supporting herself

“A raven arrived from the Citadel today,” Hokuto whispered. Anzu swept around, her cloak fanning out around her.

“And?” she asked, her eyes wide. Hokuto could tell she was hoping. Hoping for the best. He almost didn't have to heart to tell her the truth.

“A white one.”

Anzu took a step back, breathing a long sigh. She lowered her gaze and shook her head. “I should’ve known better than to hope otherwise,” she said. She looked down into the courtyard and at the bustling people, going this way and that, carrying salvaged grains and broken armors.

Hokuto thought he heard a soft whisper on the wind, “winter is here,” but he didn’t see Anzu’s lips moving. Could the castle itself be aware of the coming changes?

“Does the others know?” Anzu asked softly.

“Just Mao,” Hokuto said. “But I suspect more than a few saw the bird coming.”

“We need to get all the lords together,” Anzu said. “We need to tell them.” She paused. “ _I_ need to tell them.” The wind blew her hood off, revealing her face, flushed with the cold. “Gather the men, Hokuto.” She turned to leave, pulling her hood over her face again.

Hokuto watched her go, her cloak sweeping over the snowy ground, leaving a faint trail that soon disappeared under new snow, now falling heavier.

Hokuto walked down the battlement and towards the great hall in silence, ignoring the small folks and soldiers. The small folks and soldiers were just as happy to continue on with their duties without stopping to greet him. A gust of wind blew his hood over and snow fell onto his neck. He shuddered and quickened his steps, entering the looming grey castle.

Most of the lords were already sitting in the great hall. They sat around the hearths that lined the walls, drinking wine and perhaps something stronger. There were no jokes, no songs, none of the usual activities men participate in after a victorious battle. Most were only staring at the flame, their eyes unblinking. The silence was only broken by the occasional cough or scraping of chair legs on floor.

As Hokuto walked past, he heard the men whispering amongst themselves. He caught a few words, “winter,” “here,” “Others.” Clearly, the words of the white bird had already reached the men.

He made his way to the front of the hall. Subaru and Makoto were sitting at the table in front of the dais, chatting quietly, but they weren’t alone. Nazuna and Rei were with them. Rei was sitting quietly over a cup of wine while Nazuna had his head down to the table, scribbling. A cluster of empty cups sat at Makoto’s elbow.

Hokuto walked up to the table. “Lord Sakuma, Lord Nito,” he nodded at the two as he sat down next to Subaru.

“Lord Hidaka,” Nazuna said with a nod, “you fought valiantly today.” The young lord’s blond hair was dull and he had a few bruises on his face.

“Thank you, my lord,” Hokuto said. “You did, as well.” He glanced at the paper curiously. “Pardon my intrusion, my lord. Who are you writing to?”

“My betrothed,” Nazuna said.

“Lord Hakaze?”

Nazuna nodded. “He is still down in the south. He can be a valuable source for us.”

"Can we trust him?" Hokuto asked. He was reluctant was ask such a question, but in a time like this, he must.

"I trust him with my life," Rei said before Nazuna. Nazuna glanced at the dark haired man, then nodded in agreement. Hokuto nodded.

Rei waved over a serving maid, who carried a platter full of cups. She sat a cup down in front of Hokuto and scuttled away quietly. Hokuto grabbed the cup, feeling the warmth seeping through his glove and into his bones.

“Where is the princess?” Rei asked as Hokuto sipped his wine.

Before Hokuto could say anything, they were distracted by the sudden sound of door opening and chairs scraping against the floor. On the other side of the room, men and women rose to their feet, bowing.

Anzu swept into the room, trailed by Mao. She had not change out of her blood stained dress. Hokuto hurried to his feet with the rest of the room and bowed to her. She kept her neck stiff and her gaze trained at the dais. She wore no expression on her face and she did not turn to look at any of her advisors or friends.

She stepped behind the dais, resting her hands on the high table. Many moons ago, her father had sat at this table, a Warden of the North. Now, with her family gone, she stood there as the Princess of the North. She turned around to look at the liege lords. When she opened her mouth, she had ice and steel in her voice.

“Today, we fought,” she began. “Freefolks and northerners fought alongside one another to snatch a victory from the fingers of our enemies. I’m sure many of you can remember, my father had often said that you will find out who your true friends are on the battlefield.” The northern lords muttered a hurrah.

“But this is not the end yet,” Anzu continued. She paused, swept her gaze through the lords. “I ask you to stay and fight for me.”

One of the lords in the back stood up. “Winterfell’s been retaken,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Lady Anzu reinstated as the Warden of the North. There is no point in us lingering here anymore. Winter is here. I ask my lady for permission to return home to my family and my small folks.”

His words were met with a wave of murmured agreement.

“There’s still enemies out there!” On the other side of the room, Tetora spoke up. His young voice echoed off of the walls of the great hall. “The Night King is coming with his army of dead. Like my lady have said. This is not yet the end.”

“But what can we do?” another lord asked. “Even if what you say is true, we do not have the supplies to fight such a war. We should go back and wait, stock up on food for the winter.”

“But such is not a matter we can wait on!” Tetora insisted. “I’ve seen the Night King, I’ve seen the dreadful faces of his army of dead with my own eyes. If we do not unite, this will be the end of us all.”

“So can the winter,” another lord spoke up. “I’d rather stay in my hold and prepare for what I know is coming then to stay here and wait for a war that may never come.” His words, too, were met with a wave of agreement.

Hokuto glanced at Anzu, who was standing silently behind the dais. Her hands were hidden under her sleeves and her lips were pressed into a thin line.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Hokuto saw Hajime pushing himself to his feet. Next to him, Subaru leaned forward, staring at the young boy. Hokuto knew the boy to be prone to nervousness, but when he opened his mouth, there was no trace of anxiousness in his voice.

“When the king executed Lady Anzu’s lord father, her brother rose to arms,” he said. For the first time, Hokuto heard the steel hidden under the boy’s sweet voice. “We joined him, because we all know in our heart that the North belongs to northerners and all wrong should be avenged. Yet when King’s Landing sent that imposter of a Warden to the north, we did nothing. I do not intend on making that mistake again.” He turned to Anzu, who was looking at him with shock on her face and a small, almost undetectable smile on her lips.

He turned back to the lords, who were all looking at him in stunned silence. “The North is ours. It is ours to fight for and ours to keep. Even if the Night King is not real, King’s Landing will not give up the North without a fight. If we lose, there will be another imposter here. Our brothers will again scream while they hang. Our sisters will curse our names when the southern armies grab hold of them. Our parents will weep tears of blood. You may have forgotten, but I have not.” He looked around the room. The lords who had spoke up shrank into their cloaks. “I remember every atrocity the southerners committed here. The North remembers.”

He walked towards Anzu, drawing his thin sword and laying it on the ground. He knelt down in front of her, his head bowed low. “I know no queen but the Queen in the North whose name is Stark,” he said. Those words sent a chill up Hokuto’s spine.

While Hajime’s words were still reverberating in the hall, Subaru and Tetora stood and walked to Hajime, drawing their swords. They laid the swords down on the ground next to Hajime’s.

“The Queen in the North,” they said in unison.

One by one, the northern lords rose to their feet and laid down their swords. Even the ones that had voiced their disagreement stood with the rest without any discontent on their faces. Hokuto stood, following suit. He wasn’t of the north, but his friend needed every man and woman she can get. He laid down his longsword and bowed his head, joining his voice to the chorus of hardened northerners, proclaiming a new queen. “The Queen in the North!” He look up, sneaking a glance at Anzu. She was standing on the dais, looking dazed and shocked by this turn of events. She was trembling, but she held her head high like a truth Northerner.

More and more voices joined them. More voices than Hokuto thought was possible. More voices than there were people in the room.

It’s the ancient northerners, Hokuto thought. It’s the northerners before the Dragon Lords came and conquered this land. Those northerners still live within these walls, and a new queen had woken them from their ancient slumber. It’s Winterfell itself, remembering how these words were chanted in this great hall for centuries.

Hajime was right. The North remembers.

“Queen in the North!” the voices chanted. The castle itself rumbled. Hokuto was sure their voices could be heard for miles. As he chanted, it was as if he could hear the direwolves as big as the mountains howling to the pale, bloody moon. The north itself came alive. _"The Queen in the North!”_


End file.
